Silence and Solitude and Communion with God

To our own detriment, we have lost the art of being still and knowing that God is God (Psalm 46:10).

When we read Mark 11:15-17 and visualize in our mind's eye what it would have looked like for Jesus to run the money-changers out of the temple, we wrongfully assume that this principle applies only to church life. When we realize that we (Jesus-followers) are now the temple (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), we come to understand that it is our minds and hearts that Jesus must clear of distractions.

Mark 11:15-17
"And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. And he was teaching them and saying to them, 'Is it not written, "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations"? But you have made it a den of robbers.' "

To experience our God and enjoy His presence, we must get rid of any clutter that would distract us in our times of prayer and reflection upon His Word. After all, Jesus did this. We are told that He often went to the desert (Matthew 4:1), a mountain (Matthew 14:23), the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 21:37) and other places of solitude (Luke 5:16) to experience quietness in His mind and heart as well as communion with His Father.

But, many in our culture do not value quietness. It drives us crazy. And we don't value anything except busyness. We often pride ourselves in how much we have accomplished ... and how much busier we are than others. And we feel horrible (even guilty) when there is a span of time that we have not accomplished anything.

So, work with Jesus to have times in your day when you chase distractions out of your mind and heart so that you can enjoy prayerful communion with God. Doing so will go against the way many of us are wired. But, if we would enjoy our God, we must seek out daily time to quiet our minds and hearts and sit in the presence of God with reflective Bible reading and prayer.

God made us to need this time of communion with Him just as much as we were made to need air, food and drink. So, work to carve out space each day for quiet fellowship with God.

Psalm 42:1-2
"As a deer pants for flowing streams, 
so pants my soul for you, O God. 
My soul thirsts for God, 
for the living God. 
When shall I come and appear before God?"